#Fᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ Mʏ OWN Fᴀᴛᴇ (IC)

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He outstretches a long yawn, one that echoes throughout his home as he leaves the bedroom, looking a little tired, but feeling completely invigorated. He didn't know how long exactly he slept for, but it was definitely worth it, as he felt more rested than usual.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Maaaaan what a good sleep! I slept like the dead!." Rubbing his grey eyes, he takes his phone off the charger, unlocking it, his eyes widen a bit as he looks at the date on his phone:

Thursday January 18th 2024

It takes him a few minutes, but after he finally processes what exactly happened, it's not hard to tell what exactly had happened, and he couldn't even believe it, but after restarting his phone, he found that it indeed was the correct date. Putting the phone on his computer desk, he scratches the back of his head.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Wait! No way! Did I seriously sleep all the way past new year? Just how tired was I?" Confusion sets in, but it doesn't last very long, as it soon turns into a smile.

[{ 🦋 }} - "Phew, boy am I glad I booked the first three weeks of January off. Best sleep ever! Buuut I should probably make a post on twitter, before I become the next death hoax."

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Pre-Plotted Thread || @more-than-a-princess ||

While the reoccurrence of being away from Sonia was a little tricky, over time, he had gotten used to it and the both of them even managed to put together a routine for whenever they could call. So even with the continuous cycles of being away, and then being together, and vice versa, the couple was doing just fine, and they were still going just as strong as they were when they started coming to the halfway point of their relationship, and now, here they were, the year was slowly nearing its end, with Christmas being only two months away when counting the rest of October.

Once the year would end it would mark the second year landmark of them being a couple, it was crazy to think that another year had come and gone so quickly when at the beginning, it seemed to drag on for so dreadfully long, that at times, it almost seemed like the year would never end, it was incredible how fast time would seem to pass, and so suddenly too. At the very beginning of their relationship, Minato was admittedly a little worried that the multiple times they would be away would negatively affect their relationship, but after doing it for this long now, this was something he no longer needed to worry about, they had been together long enough for him to be very much adjusted to their own cluttered schedules over the years.

After about four months of being apart for about the seventeenth or so time in their relationship, the couple finally had some free time, and by some odd, rare twist of luck, the two of them for the second time, had the exact same week off, and he wanted to take advantage of that. Thinking about what to do, Minato had a perfect thought, there was one particular place that he had always wanted to take Sonia, and now that the fortune of opportunity was finally smiling upon the couple, it was time to use it.

There had been many a time that Sonia had expressed her desire to know more about him, to know more about his past for a change, while he did talk about his past a few times now, there hadn't been enough for Sonia to paint a full picture of how his high school days were, and for good reason, how did someone tell their girlfriend of nearly two years now, that you used to fight creatures at a hidden hour that was unknown to humankind, especially the way he summoned his power. There wasn't exactly an easy way to tell someone that you had a power that required shooting yourself in the head with something that looked very close to a gun, but wasn't a gun at all, at least not the firearm type.

Who knew exactly when they would have another joint week of days off together? So now was the right moment for this trip, he wondered if any of his friends would be there? Though he doubted it, why would anyone be back in Iwatodai city after all these years? And despite the original Kirijo groups headquarters being there, his friend Mitsuru was most likely at the Shadow Operative headquarters like she often was since she was in charge of that place after she founded the organization herself. Sonia would be able to meet his friends another time, for now, he just wanted to give her that chance to finally know more about him, and this week, was the moment for it.

Minato planned this trip the exact minute he found out that they would share an entire week off, including Saturday, although the couple would likely be leaving to head back that evening since the trek back home was a bit of a long one due to being out on an island just off, close to the Kyoto region of Japan. There were two major ways to get there, through a bullet train, or with a private boat. Considering the fact that Minato and Sonia were prominent public figures in their right, the better and more appropriate option to maintain the privacy and secrecy of their relationship, Minato took the liberty of booking them a private boat to Tatsumi Port Island.

After Minato pictured her up in his car, Minato began to drive them to the port. The drive was about twenty-five minutes thanks to one quick route Minato knew of. Luckily for them, traffic wasn't that bad right now, so they would have no problem making their way over. As they conversed for the rest of the drive, Minato pulled up into the park and ride area for vehicles. Powering off his car and pocketing the keys, he unlocked the doors and exit the car, Minato pressed the trunk button to open it before shutting his door and locking it.

Once they grabbed hold of their luggage, the two met up with their captain and began to board. Because this was a private boat, there was a bedroom prepped for them should they wish to sit inside the lodging area and relax for the sail. The trip was about three hours, and exactly after that span of time, the silhouette of an island with a city skyline could be seen in the distance as the boat began to approach the shore and eventually reach the dock, and in a few minutes, Minato and Sonia were at the docks of Iwatodai City.

Just seeing the familiar shape and outline of the city he knew so well took him back immediately, the feeling of nostalgia came back hitting him in waves, even if his friends weren't here, he was excited to show Sonia the place where he had grown up, the place where everything began. Standing next to her as they step off the boardwalk and onto solid ground, dragging their roller suitcases behind them. Turning his head to look at her, he gives her a playful and cheery smile, next, he turns to face her, bowing his head like a tour guide would.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Good afternoon ma'am, might I say, you're looking rather lovely today, my name is Minato Arisato and I'll be your tour guide for the day~" A playful little quip shortly before breaking the playful act after her reaction. He gently takes hold of her hand, his fingers not hesitating to interlock with Sonia's as if on instinct. Shortly after, he began to lead the way down to a nearby bench by a set of guard rails presenting a beautiful view of the ocean surrounding the semi-urban island city that he had once called his home.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Welcome to Iwatodai city Sonia-Chan, the place, where I grew up. The hotel I booked us to stay at is a little far from here, so I arranged a carpool for us, they should be here in about ten minutes. So we can wait here for now."

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As she provides just a little bit more context about her friend Mioda, it starts to become apparent that he has in fact heard of her before, she recalled hearing something about an artist from a school band leaving her group for differences in creativity, the more he thought about it, the more he remembered. He found it pretty interesting that Mikan was friends with a popular musical artist, he assumed she must have gone to some sort of private school if it had students with notoriety like that.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Oh! Now I remember. Ibuki Mioda formerly from.. I think they were called, Black Cherry? I'm not sure if that's correct, but yeah I know who you're talking about now. It's pretty neat that you went to school with her."

He nods as she goes into her song that hit the top of the music charts, as Mikan explained, Minato had to admit, he found it pretty cute when she used the word 'charts' with a question after it, she was dangerously adorable with her wording sometimes.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, I think I know which song you're talking about. I've heard it on the radio in my car often."

Moving onto the topic of inviting her along for a trip to South Korea sometime, there was something in the way her eyes lit up at the mention of it, combined with that bright smile of hers that caused him to smile in return. Even if this was just the first date, the thought of having her along with him for a trip to a country she had a connection to her origins. Minato had never really met anyone who was part Korean before, so he was very interested in finding out more about her.

[{ 🦋 }] - "In that case, I'll make sure I let you know a couple weeks ahead of the trip so you have some time to check you're schedule. I'll be wrapping up filming of my fifth season in a month, so once that's done, I'll probably start deciding on a day for it."

He adds with a smile. Minato was pretty sure they would have a decent number of dates in the books by then, whenever it would come a time for that trip, they would be close enough to have a vacation together, the thought of it all excited him.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Society isn't the same, and has changed over the years, so not everyone in this world has good in their heart, so it's important to be strong, no matter what. I can't imagine all of the things you've had to go through, but you're strong because you're still here, and that's what's important."

Minato laments. It wasn't too hard to get the idea that Mikan must have had a hard life, he didn't know the full details, but it spoke volumes in her very timid personality. It made him even more grateful to be sitting here across from her like this.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Haha, thanks. But you're not wrong. When it comes to evil spirits and malevolent forces, especially when dealing with demonic entities, any faint display of weakness will be used against you, it's happened a few times in some investigations. They usually like to target our youngest investigator, Zero since he's very insecure about some things, he's also scared very easily which doesn't help in that regard. So us paranormal investigators don't really have much of a choice, we have to be strong-willed because once an entity has a chokehold around your fears or shaken will, it is extremely difficult to make them let go of their target."

He explains, appreciative of her compliment, but also decided to provide a bit of detail on the subject. On the topic of another date. Minato couldn't agree with her any more than he already did. This whole time during their conversation, Minato could feel something genuine forming between them. Mikan was the first person he had dated in a long time. The fact that the conversation was already going so well even before their food, was definite proof that there was a strong bond starting to form, so more dates with her were an immediate yes.

[{ 🦋 }] - "We really do. You know, this is the first date I've gone on in years. Food isn't even here yet, and I'm already having such a blast. So I want to know a lot more about you too."

He agrees with another smile. Moments later, the chef returns with their food and serves them their plates, before bowing and walking back into the double doors of the kitchen.

"Y-Yeah! Mioda used to be in an band b-but they broke up in high-school. They had a couple of singles that actually ch-charted on the music uhm... charts? But when she w-went solo she stuck m-mainly to indie m-music. But she's pretty popular!" Mikan explained. "She's got one s-song that's b-been playing on the radio recently!"

Mikan lit up at his mention of letting her tag along on his next trip to Seoul. "R-Really? I'd h-have to make sure I can take the time off from the c-clinic... and I won't be in classes, but other than that, I'd love to!" She replied enthusiastically.

She flushed pink at his compliments. They weren't even drinking much and she felt drunk off the attention he was giving her. She'd been so nervous to actually accept, yet here she was having a great time. Why was she always so anxious about these things? She needed to let loose a little more. Maybe Minato was the guy to help her do that.

"Th-thank you.. I've never been called st-strong before. Considering your line of work, I think you'd have to be pretty strong too. So I r-really admire that about you, too."

You don't need to bring him home with you tonight. She told herself. It's just the first date. Get to know him a little better first this time!

"W-We just have a lot in common," she explained. "I d-don't think I've ever met anyone like you b-before. So I'm eager to learn more about you."

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[{ 🦋 }] - "Maaaan. I've been so busy. I think this is the busiest start to the new season of my show I've had in a long time. It feels great, but kinda tiring. I think I'd better book Valentine's Day off too, especially the day after."

Minato looks over at a brand new shelf he just ordered, he finished building it up earlier and now it is ready for use. It was very tall just barely stopping before his ceiling and had at least over sixty shelves and several little side compartments, the thing was expensive and had taken him about seven hours to put together piece by piece.

[{ 🦋 }] - "With this new master snack shelf, I'm gonna be able to buy SO MUCH discounted Valentine's Day chocolate... among others, a few extra snacks anyway."

He wore the biggest grin as he began to picture this shelf stacked full of his favorite snacks and candies of all kinds from around the world during his travels for work, and the little compartments be perfect for the more smaller sized snacks, he'd be able to put so much on here he was practically drooling at what he was imagining. A few seconds after, he finally snaps out of his trance, quickly wiping his mouth.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I'll be like Willy Wonka, except instead of making candy and chocolate, I EAT it." He adds with a smile, he felt like a little kid in a candy store.

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[{ 🦋 }] - “Anyone know if it’s possible to get a restraining order against a group? Asking for a friend.”

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Random Dialogue Sentence Meme || No Longer Accepting

@chibitantei sent: “How can you stand this place?”

Now this was a place he never imagined he'd be staring at again, never in a million years did he think he would find himself back here in the Yamanashi Prefecture, a part of Japan that was home to one of the most haunted outdoor locations -- a location that he was all too familiar with. Aokigahara Forest, otherwise known as the Suicide Forest, it was a dark location that was full of Paranormal Activity as well as unexplainable phenomena. Minato was originally here to do an interview on his experience inside there for a local magazine company that talked about things involving the Paranormal. The interview lasted just over an hour before he finished.

Minato was about to leave, when he received a call, checking his phone he saw it had been none other than Naoto who heard Minato was nearby. Apparently, there was a little girl who went chasing after her red ball that had bounced into the forest, this little girl hadn't been seen in about twenty-four hours, and because it was the forest that she had gone into, many others were skeptical on going in there to search besides a few local police officers who never came back out. Someone had apparently contacted her in hopes she would be able to find the girl, because of Minato's experience navigating the forest, she was asking for his assistance in going in the forest with her trusting that he knew the correct paths, and he did.

Understanding the dire situation, Minato agreed and postponed the next thing he had planned, a podcast appearance in Hokkaido, and they didn't mind once he had relayed to them what his reason was for postponing. With everything taken care of, Minato went to meet up with the detective at the entrance of the forest. With a wave, he approached her.

[{ 🦋 }} - "Hey Shirogane, been a while, a shame we're not meeting under better circumstances, but I came as soon as I got your call."

Minato planned to return here one day to investigate again, as for right now, he'd put his main focus on trying to locate this girl, even with his familiarity with this dark and dreary place, finding the girl wouldn't be an easy task, but with the two of them working together, he had a feeling they'd be able to find her and bring her back safe.

[{ 🦋 }] - "So, we're looking for thirteen-year-old Haruka Seiko right?, went reported missing yesterday around five-forty-seven pm." He read the report just to confirm, once that she confirmed it with him, he nodded.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Okay, one thing you should know about the forest, is that it has a very unnatural and eerie atmosphere. With its dark history, we're bound to encounter some of the spirits inhabiting this forest, and they will try and confuse us, and throw us off our path, so if you think we're going around in a circle, we'll need to stop an asses our directions, anyway, are you ready?"

[dxfiedfxte]

Minato knew that horror movies weren't exactly Fuuka's forte, but since it was the month of October, how could someone, not watch a scary movie? Of course, he wouldn't plan on taking her to see a lot of horror flicks for her own comfort, so even Fuuka just joining him for one was already more than enough for him, especially a film in the Exorcist franchise, a seemingly better one. Despite it being his first time watching this new movie, there was one thing he knew for sure, however this one would turn out to be, it would easily be better than the other failed sequels within the franchise.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, that's true. A major plot isn't something people care about in horror movies. Well, some do but not a lot. For me, if the plot sets things up nicely and provides at least, decent context, then I do appreciate it. The last horror movie I saw that had a good plot background was M3gan."

She definitely had a point. Plots aren't usually something that is focused on too much in most horror movies, but Minato on the other hand, enjoyed it when there was a good plot. It didn't need to be a thorough plot setup since that might have taken too much time, so for the most part, he could watch one without a plot, things just might not make a lot of sense in those cases, but at least the horror scenes usually made up for it.

A soft chuckle as she mentions that she would need a lot more convincing to join him for a horror film when they were both still students in high school. Yeah, he could definitely see that, Fuuka was a bit of a different person now compared to how she was back then, they were both different people in those days.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I can definitely see that. Back then, you wouldn't even go near a theater with a horror movie playing, not as easily anyway. Of course, I'm still more than happy to give you more regardless." Minato playfully adds as she takes his hand while the couple reminisces for a few moments about old times.

It was a different world when they were still in high school, now, after all these years, things changed, society changed, and everyone is a different person now. Even in the present, Minato would always remember the struggles he and the others faced together, how they all united and became the best people he knew in life. It wasn't just the group as a whole either.

Minato also remembered the struggles that he and Fuuka's relationship faced thanks to his carelessness. Thankfully, the both of them came out of it all, much stronger, and closer than ever before, he would be eternally grateful for Fuuka taking him back, life had never been better ever since they rekindled and moved back in together. Tonight would be the first horror movie they had seen as a couple in a little while, so however the movie would be, he was just happy to be there, having another movie date with the love of his life.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Ooooo, she's got a real snack craving tonight." He lightly teases. Fuuka never usually had too much at the movie theater, so hearing her specific craving was a surprise, but she definitely had good taste.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Sure thing. I'm a movie club member too, so we'll get discounted food and popcorn combos." He chuckles in approval, Minato wasn't sure what he wanted yet, but he would more than likely choose once they were there. For Minato, it was just easier to see all the options they had in person. Minato sets up the first exorcist movie so they can recap what happened in the story of the first one.

[{ 🦋 }] - "You bet. All the seats recline in the theater. The one that doesn't have them is the theater that plays movies that leave normal theaters after their original theater runtime." He answers as he sits down on the couch, waiting for her to join him as he gets comfortable.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Since the first hour is just slow, story building, we can probably skip the first half since we know how it happens, all we really need to recap is the possession itself so we can see what core elements they keep in Believer." He explains, curious to see if the new one would have any similarities or throwbacks like Halloween 2018 did.

They had three hours, and Minato didn't feel like wasting the first hour by watching story building that they were well aware of already, it seemed a little pointless rewatching the whole movie in its entirety when only the last hour mattered the most.

Just seeing Minato light up the moment she agreed to seeing the movie was the best feeling! Granted, Minato was easy to please and easy to make happy no matter what she did, but the twinkle in his eye really was the icing on the cake. So, even if she might get a nightmare tonight, Minato would be right there--holding her hand and cuddling up with her all night long.

Fuuka smiled, knowing this was a win-win situation for her.

"At least I don't have to spend time watching the earlier movies and trying to play catch up with you. Besides, I don't think many people watch scary movies for the plot." Fuuka stated, recalling something Minato, or perhaps it was Junpei?, said when they were in high school. "If you asked me years ago to go do this, you'd have to really give me more than just cuddles and kisses and hand holding."

Fuuka knew she would have wanted more since she was so much more shier and newer to horror stuff as a teenager. Never would she thought she'd be more comfortable to the stuff Minato did now. Then again, wouldn't taking shadows in the Dark Hour still be mysterious and a little horrifying? The kiss on her hand from her lover brought her mind back to reality, smiling earnestly and blushing lightly.

"I also want some snacks, too. Pretzel bites with nacho cheese--and a big bag of popcorn." Fuuka gripped his hand in return, softly, as she knew she didn't want to waste a lot of money at the movie theater. "Though, did we get the movie theater that has the reclining seats? Because those are the best when you are watching a horror movie."

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@more-than-a-princess || Thread Continuation || Taken from here 🦋

♕ - Sonia

"Thank you, Minato-Kun," She told him warmly, "I'm sure I'll have no trouble with the sun this way! But you are right, I imagine it must be troublesome to reach the entirety of your back, especially when you are quite tall. Please, go ahead and lay down now and I shall see to your back." After all, Minato Arisato had given her zero inclination that, beneath the slim fitting of his clothes, he possessed shoulders that had seen their fair share of manual labor, and triceps that, as he laid down, Sonia could tell followed suit. He wasn't the type to spend hours in a gym, so she supposed that it must have come from his work and the loads of heavy equipment he and his co-worker schlepped from place to place, in pursuit of ghosts and other paranormal happenings.

Swallowing her anxiety and, hopefully, the last of those thoughts, she had to thank the supernatural world for giving Minato a reason to haul such heavy equipment to do his job effectively. The thought made her chuckle softly as she exhaled, humbled by her own nerves, and began to rub the sunscreen into his back. She needed to talk to him, to carry on some conversation so her mind wouldn't wander the way it had when she'd been on the receiving end.

"It's so lively here, much more than the beaches in Europe," She finally spoke. It wasn't exactly the pinnacle of intellectual conversation, but it was what Sonia could manage right then, as her hands skimmed over his shoulder blades before moving further south. "There, there's often a noise ordinance and far more sunbathing instead of sports. Those are usually assigned to separate beaches, so they don't disrupt the sunbathers. Or the yachts, I assume: an Earl from my country had a rather infamous public tantrum when a fellow tourist on holiday in Cannes rode a jet ski right into the side of his boat last year. And seemed to retell the story over and over, all the way until the New Year's Eve party at Novoselic Castle. But here in America...everyone just enjoys the weather and the sea together. I find that nice. And terribly enticing to run into the waves as soon as we're finished!" If not a cold drink, then dunking herself right into the ocean should be enough to cool her off. At least, that was her logic.

When it came to beaches, Minato did enjoy them, there had been several countries with beaches he'd traveled to for work, but because of his schedule and all he had to do upon arriving, he never had the time to check out any famous beaches, even on days off where there was no work because when there was no work to do, there were other things to do, usually, things involving fan-fair: interviews, guest appearances on some form of media, online, on television as well as the radio. Other things too, like public signings, Q&A's, and meet and greets, there was never a dull moment for Minato Arisato whenever he was on the road for a work-related trip, almost every day would find something for Minato to do, preventing him from being able to enjoy any free time that might come his way whenever he was in another country for his work.

To be able to actually enjoy a beach for once, felt nice, Sonia's company, was the icing on the cake that made this trip stand out compared to the others. The Paranormal Investigator had seen several parts of the world and visited many different countries and while eighty percent of these trips were work-related, each trip had its own memories that made it unique and special. The current trip would never be able to top the others and easily took his place on the best trip this year.

Minato's career, despite it being a profession that rarely saw this amount of success for most, was still very busy and was not by any means perfect, as it did come with its own share of ups and downs -- pros and cons like everything else, and it wasn't always involving things with the investigation either.

Not catching any evidence during an investigation was one thing, but that was just one of many things that played a factor in it, there had been other occasions of video editing mistakes or equipment malfunctioning, and there had been a few cases of those this year which was nothing but a bundle of stress for the trio at PQ, so a little vacation like this, was much needed, not just for Minato, but he was sure his other two investigators could also appreciate the little break from the laptop and computer screens that the three would stare at for hours in end.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Happy to help Sonia-Chan. Yeah, you got that right. Believe it or not, I used to be a bit shorter in high school. It took some time adjusting to my increase in height after I got to college, and reaching my back, is still a bit of an issue." A soft chuckle after his modesty.

He never thought he'd get this much of an increase in height, though he assumed that had something to do with his late father since he had been pretty tall, though it wasn't too surprising since his dad was a foreigner who moved to Japan after meeting his mother.

Already on his knees, Minato gave a nod before leaning forward, lowering himself to lay his stomach down on the towel as he prepared to brace himself for Sonia's touch, now it was his turn to try and keep his thoughts in the realm of decency, and try he would -- though this feat would prove a bit difficult, just how long had it been since he had someone -- let alone a lover, touch him like this as he felt Sonia's soft gentle hands begin to slather parts of his back in sunscreen.

Sure, it was the simple act of applying sunblock which was something completely normal at a beach, but even that could become a lot more tedious when you factor in several years of not being in a relationship - such was the case for Minato. Needless to say, this would probably be the most difficult seven to twelve minutes of Minato's life in recent years.

As he began to fight the urge to react vocally to the movements of Sonia's hands as he felt her gradually shift her touch from his upper and lower back and eventually to his sides, Minato's thoughts began to race a mile a minute as she continued to apply the sunblock, despite his initial struggle of keeping his mind out of the gutter, Minato could appreciate her willingness to make sure didn't miss a single part of exposed skin on his back and the surrounding region.

The bluenette was just about to start a conversation in an attempt to better assist himself in keeping his head in the right place, as he could easily let it wander onto more suggestive thoughts. It seemed Sonia was thinking the same thing as she chimed in before he could speak, a gesture that he was completely fine with considering that any sort of conversation would help keep him focused on her, and away from the more risque subject matter that threatened to distract his thoughts.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I know right? It's pretty crazy how much different some beaches in Europe are compared to here in America. You'd think all beaches would be at least a little similar, but when you look at American beaches compared to beaches in Europe, it's like they are polar opposites in terms of public rules. Kind of reminds me of something I heard online last week. In recent news, I heard that the island of Lipari in the Aeolian archipelago off the coast of Sicily, and Tropea in Calabria, announced that they would be enforcing fines for people who wear swimsuits when not on the beach, among a host of other new rules. Supposedly, they say it's to try and curb loutish behavior from tourists, which I can understand to a point. Not all tourists are the most respectful and courteous."

It was fascinating how different some beach locations in Europe were when it came to rules and guidelines, while some were very adamant about enforcing them, some were a little bit lighter with things and more strict on other things, so it all probably depended on the type of people as some tourists weren't exactly the nicest of people.

Minato nodded in agreement, while he could understand the reasoning behind some extremely strict rules, at least America was a bit more easy-going in terms of spending time on the beach, there was just something so great about American beaches that let you enjoy the beach as freely as one wanted, it made sense coming from a country that claimed to be a free country.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I agree. The beaches in America are welcome to anyone, there are no major rules or regulations, nothing but open fun on a public beach. My dad was a westerner, he was born in America, he would always tell me stories about his home country, and how he wanted to take me there someday. So, I guess he's one of the reasons why I like America so much." He says, his tone slightly somber as he took a moment to reflect back to his late father and all his stories about the west.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I know what you mean. In that case, once we're done here, let's not waste any time getting into the water." The conversation seemed to have worked, the couple had managed to keep certain thoughts at bay long enough for her to finish, and the moment he feels her stop, Minato puts his palms on the towel and pushed himself back up to his feet. As Sonia put away the sunscreen tube, Minato offered up his hand to help her to her feet, keeping hold of her hand after pulling her up, he kicked their beach ball a bit forward so it lands just on the shore before the body of water.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Thank you. Now that we're all blocked up, I can hear the ocean calling us, so how about we jump right in Sonia-Chan?"

Not waiting long enough to get her full answer, he leads their way into the water but doesn't go too fast so Sonia could keep up with his pace as the couple could feel their feet touch the water before eventually becoming submerged at their ankles and further up as they fully transitioned into the water with a light splash of gentle waves caused from their lower halves as they hit the water, the cool temperature of the water immediately putting them at ease from the heatwave.

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Thread Continuation from here: X || @belovedblossoms

💘 - Yukari

Returning to the dorm after her own archery club, from earlier, Yukari had thought it would be best to take a little break for the rest of the day. And for her to be the only one in the main room, at least there was some peace and quiet until any others would return home too. She then heard the front door click open, seeing it was Minato coming in first as she waved to him with a smile. "Oh, Minato-kun, welcome back." Although at his request to invite her to join him at this horror movie marathon, Yukari's blood ran cold as her face grew pale. "H...horror marathon...?" her voice squeaked, "W-why would you want me to go?" Considering her strong fear of ghosts and most things terrifying, one would think Minato wouldn't even as her in the first place. Well, she isn't as terrified of them as she used to be, but still! Yet, perhaps it was the courteous thing to do? Maybe this could be another way for her to be a little more brave by watching these things. And even the little additional comment to be there when she would be scared was a little reassuring through teasing. And it was working--making the student bring some life back to her cheeks with a blush. Maybe...it couldn't be totally bad?

"Umm...I guess if it's just you it couldn't be so bad. But don't you scare me while we're there or I'll leave you there in the theater!" she pointed at him, a serious look on her face until she then sighed and got up from the couch. "I know I'll be losing my voice by the end of the night. What movies are they showing?"

[{ 🦋 }] - "Wait, Really? You will? Alright, Cool."

Minato was pleasantly surprised to hear her accept, he wasn't really expecting her to take him up on the offer, the fact being that it was back-to-back horror especially thought would turn her away. So when she agreed, suddenly, he had another date with her. What started out to be a fun little gesture, ended up turning into a full-on date. Minato liked spending time with her, so he was pretty excited to have her come along with him. The bluenette had no problem going to watch it alone, it would also be more of a much better experience with good company too, so he didn't mind it.

Come to think of it, this would be the first date of theirs they had in a while, both were so busy with Tartarus, and school club-related activities as well, so he was pretty glad to have another excuse to take her out again. Living in a dorm with everyone else on SEES made quality time together tough, so Minato would jump at any extra chance he got to be alone with Yukari again, away from everyone else, free to enjoy nothing but the activity and each other.

Needless to say, this probably wouldn't be a very fun experience for the lover's archer, still, he was just glad she had agreed in general. Because of Yukari's weak nerves about anything horror related, It was safe to say that this would probably be a one-time thing with her, and that would be just fine with him, just getting a yes from her at all wasn't something he thought would happen. One thing was for sure, Minato was going to enjoy this date while it lasted.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Hm? Oh. Nah don't worry. I don't need to scare you, the movies will do that just fine." He playfully, boldly reassures. A short chuckle follows her initial reaction before moving on.

[{ 🦋 }] - "They are showing three movies today. Paranormal Activity, Ju-On: The Grudge, and then it finishes off with One Missed Call. Our train is in ten minutes. If we leave in five, we should make it."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "First it was crabs, now it's frogs?"

Silence follows as he glares at the button above

[{ 🦋 }] - "Why can't there be a 'click for demons' button instead?"

[dxfiedfxte]

For several months now, Minato had heard many things about the man named Marusari Kenjima, a television crooked executive that was the owner of the television network titled Taeshimo Entertainment, they aired a lot of relatity shows. One day, Minato came across the episode of a ghost hunting show that was an original series from within the network, which was already enough to cause the bluenette paranormal investigator have his suspicions on his credibility. Curious, Minato watched it, only to discover that most of the evidence they claimed to captured was far too over the top and dramatic, and that was more than enough to tell him that this television show was a complete fraud.

In the beginning, Minato just wrote it off as another fake show that would eventually be exposed for its lies, as what always tended to happen to those types of shows, unfortunately, it was the exact opposite. Instead of being revealed as being fake, people were actually starting to believe it. What made it more sickening, was that, with the shows apparently growing in popularity, they immediately started releasing merchandise to make a profit of it, T-shirts, sweaters, hats, beanies, even bags -- a clear indication that this show's entire purpose, was to fool its audience, just to make a fortune of it.

Taking a deep dive into their history thanks to the help of his close friend Fuuka Yamagishi, Minato got access to a piece of electronic paperwork about their sales charts from the month of April when it started getting popular, right up into as recently as September of this year. In that entire span of months, Marusari made a total of fifty-five million yen from all the merchandise, that kind of thing absolutely pissed Minato off.

It was not only a big insult to the actual paranormal investigative profession when real investigators worked their asses off just to make a name for themselves in the community that worked so hard to gain a strong reputation and reliable credibility. It was also a major insult to the people who fell for their lies, and l gave their money to him.

The guy had a lot of nerve in asking Minato to join him three months ago, like hell, there was no way someone with a genuine passion for this would ever work with a fraud like him, he was a stain on this industry, and he needed to be stopped. Minato didn't think he'd ever have to deal with him again, or so he had thought. A few days ago, an organization that called themselves The Garden, or Garden for short.

The paranormal investigator had never even known such an organization existed, so being contacted by them was completely unexpected. Apparently, Marusari was on some sort of hit list, and since he was the only public figure who had ever been personally approached by their target, they wanted to use his connection to that man, to help them complete his execution -- and they very direct about his fate with him. Minato wasn't the type of person who agreed with senseless killing, even for a scammer like Marusari. Regardless, considering this group was clearly operated under the radar, Minato didn't think refusing was much of an option, if the world didn't know about them, who knew what would happen in saying no, so, much to his dismay, he agreed.

Fast forward four days, and that brought him to today. Minato was given a specific location to meet, and here he was, wearing long slim fit pants, and a black long-sleeved shirt, his long blue jacket over top, the split ends blowing in the gentle breeze along with the teal blue scarf on his neck in tune. Upon his arrival, he was met with a woman who matched the description he had been given in the email received two days ago. Stopping at the table, Minato nods at her confirmation and takes a seat across from her at the table. Once seated, he's given what sounds like her code name.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Thorn Princess huh? If it's cool, I'm gonna call you Thorn for short. You can call me Minato, but think nothing of it, I'm just really a fan of being too formal since I have to do it far more often than I'd like."

He admits. Being seen as a celebrity meant he had to keep a proper public image. When living life in the spotlight, even one small mistake could cost you your entire life's work, making your career crash and burn in the process.

[{ 🦋 }] - "No problem. Yeah, I remember the details. I just have to find an opportunity to get you in close contact with him so you can make your move. I have his card right here, so I guess I'll give him a call. This guy really wants me on his network, so I'm pretty sure he won't say no, then we'll go from there." Minato adds, pulling out his smartphone, Marusari's card shortly after before pulling up the keypad on his device then promptly dialing the numbers as it began to ring, hopefully, he would pick up.

It only took a minute or two before the excited rough voice of the older man answered the phone, Minato could tell right away that the man was pleased to receive the call. "Well well, Mister Arisato, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd be hearing from you again. So then, how can I help you this evening?"

Minato knew he had to make his reason for calling sound realistic, so he thought of the first thing that came to his mind, it was a little cliche, but he was confident that it would work.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I haven't announced it publicly yet, but I fired my other two co-investigators. I thought about you're offer, and you were right. It is about time I set out on my own and make some real money. So I accept, is there a place we can meet up. I wanna make my statement tomorrow so the sooner we can get this rolling, the better." He lies, and thankfully, it seemed to work.

"Haha, I knew you were the type of young man who has money in his eyes. People don't care about real ghosts anymore, it's all about show business, not passion. I'm hosting a dinner party at my summer home. It starts in an hour an a half. I'll text you the details and address, I gotta add you to the guest list tonight. See you later." With that, he hung up.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Ugh, I really hate that prick. Anyway, it sounds like he's hosting a dinner party in an hour, he invited me, and wants to talk business at some point. So here's my plan. We'll go to the party and take part, blend in a bit then you can take him out when we go to his office. You can come as my talent agent. How does that sound?"

@dxfiedfxte || Plotted Starter - A Joint Mission.

Yor Briar was good at her job. Killing a target was second nature to her. But there was one aspect of her assassin job that didn't come so easily - the social aspect. Surprisingly, killing people meant getting close to them and Yor just wasn't good at the whole "making friends" thing.

She nervously fidgeted with the teaspoon she'd used to stir the sugar into her coffee. The Shopkeeper had arranged a meeting with a man who had a connection to the target and in order to get the information she needed she had to work alongside this other person. Her eyes darted toward the cafe's entrance whenever the bell above the door chimed as if death himself may walk through at any moment.

She didn't have to wait long. A younger man fitting the description the Shopkeeper had given her wandered in not ten minutes after she'd sat down. Yor stood and waved him over.

"Y-You must be the contact," she began, offering a polite smile. "I'm sure my employer has told you the details of my assignment, but on behalf of Garden and its members, I'd like to express our deepest gratitude at your decision to help. You may call me Thorn Princess."

[dxfiedfxte]

Yet another thread relocation because this editor breaks too damn much lately T_T || @tacitusauxilium

✦✦✦~ Fuuka

“…I…lost Juno.” Fuuka whispered hoarsely, her eyes squinting in fear of Akihiko getting ready to yell at her. She clasped her hands together, trying to feel for her. She made sure Akihiko couldn’t get a word in as she continued speaking. “M-minato saved my life and it cost me my Persona. Minato’s shadow attacked me–through the chest–” Her hands shot to her chest, wincing in pain as she could feel the pain and lowered her eyes. “–a-and I can’t sense no one anymore! I-I can’t sense if anyone is in pain, if anyone is lost–I-I don’t want to be removed from the Shadow Operatives!” 

Akihiko listened to Fuuka’s woes; he was surprised that Juno seemed to have disappeared from Fuuka’s mind–heck, he didn’t know how Personas work but that they appeared. He quietly thought, and feared, that maybe the shadow that formed from Minato stole her Persona? He had never heard of it happening before–at least Mitsuru was getting the full story from Minato at this moment. Akihiko put a hand on top of Fuuka’s head and shook his head. “You won’t be removed–I’ll be sure of that. Fuuka, you’ve done so much for everyone then and now. I know Juno will come back to you. And if I am wrong, I’ll be sure to stop traveling the world and focus on college.”

Fuuka sniffed her nose, feeling a tickle of a laugh wanting to escape, but it stayed inside of her chest–she only nodded to his promise. Fuuka wouldn’t know how to act like a normal adult–go to college, become a doctor to satisfy her parents goals, and watch her lover have the freedom she couldn’t? She mentally shook the thought from her mind as Akihiko moved to reach for her water and snack and handed it to her. “…thank you.” Was all Fuuka could say as she clenched them closer to her chest.

Akihiko nodded and lowered his hand from the top of her head. “Come on. Let’s go back to the room–I’m sure Minato and Mitsuru want to talk to you and see you. Besides that, you need a bed to sleep in. Wouldn’t want Minato to get jealous of me carrying you to bed, right?” He joked, noticing that Fuuka didn’t really react quickly to the joke, and felt his heart twinging in sadness at how badly she was. Fuuka nodded slowly and felt Akihiko’s hand on her back, guiding her back to Minato’s room while feeling like an empty shell of a person. She was there physically but her mind was somewhere far away.

As he greeted her, the redhead kept her expression serious, but slightly gentle. While this was a serious discussion, it was still good to see him again, despite the bandaged and healing wounds, still in decent health. There was a lot to talk about, so Mitsuru would get right to the point of her visit and get Minato's full account of what happened, and what led up to him being in a hospital bed and recovering from a successful surgery, She had gotten the brief description of it, but she would need the full report, to better help assess what happened and what would possibly come next.

Booted heels click on the ground as she makes her way towards a chair by his bedside so she can listen. Besides, she was sure that this would be a bit of a long talk, so she figured she might as well sit down as they go over the event that had brought them here in full detail.

[{ ♕ }] - "As expected, you seem to be recovering relatively well. I'm glad. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time for a more adequate visit, so I'll get right to the discussion at hand. For now, let's start with when this shadow appeared, and what led up to the confrontation."

It was a bit of a shame that this wasn't a normal visit, Mitsuru had become a very close friend of his from their circle of friends, and everyone held a special place in parts of his heart, but Mitsuru wasn't just a close friend, she was also a mentor to him as well, she even went out of her way to ensure that the graves of his parents were being well-maintained and cared for to continue to respectfully honor their memory and that to Minato, meant so much. So, he wanted to give her all the details he could to help her further her investigation into the matter.

Taking a deep breath, Minato sat up a bit, albeit slowly given that he was still very early into the healing process. Closing his eyes, he begins to think, projecting the scene of everything that happened clearly in the back of his mind, grey-colored hues open, and he begins to explain, playing back the experience like a movie on a big auditorium screen.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I had just gotten back from a podcast, and Fuuka wasn't at the house, so I got worried. Only to get a picture text from her phone, but it wasn't Fuuka, it was the shadow... my shadow." One short pause as he revealed to her the identity of the aforementioned shadow that had been responsible for the state Minato was currently in.

[{ ♕ }] - "Your shadow? And you're sure it wasn't just taking your form? If this really was your shadow, then this may be more serious than I had originally anticipated." Minato's expression remains serious as he says nothing. The expression he wore was more than enough to tell her that he was serious.

[{ ♕ }] - "I see...please continue." She adds, convinced by the look on his face, she continues to listen to the rest of the recollection of what happened.

[{ 🦋 }] - "The text was a message, telling me to meet him at a specific location and it had a picture attached to it, a picture of Fuuka tied up, and she was hurt too. Needless to say, I rushed over. When I got there, he was waiting for me, and that's where the fight started." Minato continued to go over the rest of it, in full detail. He left nothing out. Moments later, he was finally finished.

Mitsuru remained sat in the chair for a few, carefully processing and pondering what all this could mean. Surely there was a larger scale to this encounter, ulterior motives involving a grand scheme. She had a strong sinking suspicion, that Minato wasn't finished with his shadow just yet, concerning, to say the least, but she had faith in Minato, he always seemed to find a way to go above and beyond every time, even in the most dire of situations. Regardless, Mitsuru was still determined to find her own share of answers.

[{ ♕ }] - "I see...I'm relieved that you were able to bring Yamagishi back and that you're still here with us. Regarding the shadow. At first, I thought that this situation was similar to Narukami and his friends with the way they awakened their powers. Yet, you were still able to use your Persona, so we can rule out any potential link to that. Still, it's quite concerning to think that a shadow could be that intelligent. let alone, enough to put together a plan to trap someone." She's quiet for a few moments before standing up from her seat. Before Mitsuru could say anything else, Minato stopped her by speaking.

[{ 🦋}] - "Mitsuru-san, there's one last thing I should tell you. I was going to let her tell you herself, but I wanted to give you a heads-up. It's the reason Fuuka is so down. For whatever reason, Fuuka lost Juno, and she's worried she's going to be removed from the team. I don't know how it happened, but all I know, is that my shadow beat her up pretty bad.. not just physically either..."

The sentence stops Mitsuru in her tracks, a single clicked heel as she stands in place to listen and take in what she has been told. It made sense, so that's why Fuuka looked so distraught. While her not having a Persona was a bit of a big deal, Mitsuru couldn't even dream of letting Fuuka go, she was one of her close friends, and also one of the best handywomen she knew, especially when it came to technology, removing her from the team completely would be absurd.

[{ ♕ }] - "Juno is gone...? That's horrible, and also very strange. I've never heard a case where a Persona disappeared from its user's mind entirely... I fear that your shadow may have somehow been responsible for it. Remove her? Unheard of. I would never remove her from the team. If it came down to it though, I would just put her in another part of the team, one that is good for her natural talent. Anyway, thank you for your report Minato-san. It was very informative, once I speak with Yamagishi, I'll try and see what I can do to help."

After the discussion ended, and on cue, the sound of footsteps, could be heard outside the door, Minato had hoped that at least, she would be able to eat, she needed food after what happened Upon the door opening, Minato gave Fuuka a small smile, while Mitsuru gave a slight one as she took back her card. Now that Minato had explained, she understood that losing Juno wasn't Fuuka's fault, there was just something more to it. Just as Mitsuru had theorized, it was most likely his shadow that was the cause of it. Minato just hoped he would have enough recovery time when the time to face him again.

[{ ♕ }] - "Ah, Yamagishi. I've just finished speaking with him, so if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you now and get you're account on what happened, please do include as much detail as possible, the more I know, the better I can be of assistance."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "I've dealt with almost every type of malevolent spirit or evil demonic force you can think of in my career, and there's one type of evil, that I'll always hate dealing with the most, worse than any other demonic entity." There's a long pause. But he already has his answer.

[{ 🦋 }] - "...Movie talkers. The most foul of all evils. Seriously, some people need to know when to respectfully, shut up."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "Went to see The Nun 2 tonight, and uh... it was okay. It could have been much better. it's like they copied and pasted scenes involving the nun from the Conjuring movies and just changed a few things. to make it appear different. I expected more, but hey, at least we're getting a Conjuring 4."

[dxfiedfxte]

The pancakes had been a complete success, he could tell not only by the satisfied feeling in his stomach and delicious taste but also by Chiaki's clear indication of also enjoying the breakfast he had cooked for the both of them. Strawberry wasn't the usual kind of berry he had very often. Although he did like these pancakes, he was definitely going to make the blueberry variation of this particular breakfast food, a type of pancake that he thought Chiaki would come to appreciate even more than strawberry the next time they would do this again.

He hoped this would become a new routine for the two of them, even with the risks of being in the other dorm, it was worth it if it meant he could wake up next to her again, opening his eyes to the sight of Chiaki sleeping peacefully, her pale porcelain colored skin glowing from the thin rays of sunlight that would poke through the curtains every morning -- it was a sight that flawlessly beat waking up to his overly blue wallpaper in his dorm that he had seen every other day in his life here, it really made a difference having her next to him at the start of his day, starting his day with Chiaki and not alone.

The joke about them sounding like a married couple hit differently than any other joke, while it was funny, it also made his heart flutter a bit like a quick wave of warmth in his chest overcame him as quickly as it left. After something like that, most might think it felt awkward, but for Minato, it was the opposite, and something told him Chiaki felt the exact same given that she had been the one who brought it up -- but he didn't mind at all, in fact, he found that it sounded pretty cute coming from her.

As she agreed with him, he nodded, good, she really did know what he meant, he was glad it wasn't just him, then it would have been awkward for sure.

[{ 🦋 }] - "That's how I feel when I spend time with you, regarding that I wanted to ask you something." Setting the dishes down in the sink for a moment, he turns to face the gamer girl to propose his question to her.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Chiaki, I was wondering if you wanted to make having breakfast together our new routine? We can meet up in our rooms some days, and meet up on others, and after we're done, we'll always make it in time to walk to class together? So what do you say?"

Eventually Chiaki had finally finished her own share of pancakes, full and satisfied from how tasty it all was. And all the better as they talked about how sharing a meal with another has made it more enjoyable. More often at times it was only her getting to eat her meals by herself but sitting here talking with Minato and seeing him devour his food as usual and making her laugh made it much more worth it staying. Her smile then grew as well as her blush when Minato really agreed that they were kind of like a married couple together. The thought of it had given her such butterflies so suddenly, purely when she had been talking or thinking to herself about such a thing it turned to be out loud. But of course Minato would never judge her way of thinking and such, especially for that being who she is.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." she nodded, her hand reached to push away from her face shyly playing with a strand of her hair. "Spending time with your favorite person at the start of the day really does make all the difference in one. Like how I want to come see you or hope I do see you in the mornings first when we go to class. It makes a lot of it more worth it looking forward to see you..."

Continued & moved thread w/ @dxfiedfxte

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "What's up with this purple Grimace shake thing? I've seen so many people drinking it today. Did I miss a national holiday or something?"

He is very confused about this new thing, so many people have been walking by with that exact shake in their hands, it didn't make an ounce of sense. Just what was all the rage about these drinks? Just when he thought he was very in tune with society and all its new trends, he was thrown a curveball and now nothing made much sense.

He hasn't been to Mcdonald's enough to remember all the mascot's names, especially since it was pretty much just Ronald Mcdonald now.

[{ 🦋 }] - "...I kind of want one now..."